Haunted
by Oshaberi
Summary: In the deserted Junkyard and under the calming influence of Tantomile, Demeter tells the story of her life. Not what you may be expecting. Chapter 4 is up!
1. Introduction

**Comments: **Whoo! This shall be my first CATS fanfiction. The plot is from a strange dream which I had the luck of remembering, and I hope that it is an enjoyable one. I haven't written in a long time, and I'm sure I'd make many mistakes regardless, so if you notice any errors in the spelling or grammar, please don't hesitate to inform me! This is simply the introduction, so not much is revealed yet, but hopefully I'll be able to stick to the plot like I want to. I feel confident that you'll find it interesting, if nothing else. Thanks for reading! 

**Disclaimer: **Andrew Lloyd Webber owns CATS, not me! 3

Introduction 

_Demeter was thinking._

_It was not something that she liked to do; it usually unearthed less than pleasant memories. Oftentimes she kept herself under the security of instinct, doing only the minimal amount of reasoning required for survival and shutting off the rest of her mind. In times like this, however, when the Ball was over and the Junkyard nearly deserted, the natural need for contemplation crept into her mind. She thought about her Name, she thought about her dear friend, Bombalurina… she thought about the probing feeling in her head and spun around wildly._

_Behind her, she saw the softly glowing eyes and complex markings of Tantomile— or at least, she_ thought_ it was Tantomile. It could very well have been Coricopat. Either way, it was one of the twins, they were alone, and whoever it was had been probing at her mind._

"_What was that for?" Demeter snapped at the cat, her ears flattening defensively. _

"_I was curious," Tantomile said. The female voice confirmed her identity. "Forgive me." She slid off of her perch, sitting down beside Demeter._

"_Curious?" Demeter blinked, her stiff posture loosening. "About me?"_

"_You puzzle me. Your mind is closed to everything."_

_Demeter looked at the ground for a long time. Tantomile watched her. Every now and then she could feel wisps of emotion trickle from her, but for the most part her mind was as it always was; sealed away. Suddenly the younger queen looked up, their eyes locking._

"_Tantomile," she said, her speech wavering unexpectedly with nervousness, "Do you… really want to know why? Does it really matter that much to you?"_

"_Not particularly, but I feel it would do _you_ a world of good."_

_As Demeter looked into the elder queen's orbs, trying to decipher any mockery in them (there was none), she was flooded with such a sudden feeling of trust and peace that she had to wonder if it wasn't merely Tantomile filtering the emotions through her. Naturally or not, she gave in._

"…_Okay. I'll tell you. It's long, because I'm telling you everything. And you can't tell anyone what you hear, alright? Even Coricopat."_

"_Coricopat is my spirit brother. I cannot hide thoughts from him, even if I wish to do so."_

"_Well, whatever. Tell him not to tell anyone."_

_She sat down. And she told her story. _


	2. The Beginning

**Comments: **I wanted to make a few points about Hestia, Vulcan, Jupiter, and Cronus. The latter three are not OCs, but are actually the three catnappers that steal Old Deuteronomy. I have simply given them names and am in the process of giving them personalities. Hestia, however, IS an OC. She's there for a purpose, though, and for those that don't usually like OCs in stories—such as myself—I hope she will be a decent character. 

Which reminds me, this fic has no plans for pairings as of the moment. 3

Chapter 1: The Beginning 

It was always just the six of us.

As far back as I could remember, my life had been spent with the same five people. My sister, my father, and my three brothers. I never knew any mother, but I painted a complex and wonderful picture of her in my mind, using the descriptions of my father.

"Daddy," I had asked him once, "Why doesn't Mama ever come home? Lots of other kittens have mamas."

He had looked at me for a moment, and that was the first time I had seen true sadness. It was not the sadness of falling down and scratching your paw, not even the sadness of watching a friend leave after hours of playing. It was the sadness of a scratch that never healed, a friend that would never come back.

"You had a mother too, Demeter," He'd spoken softly, "She was a wonderful queen. She looked very much like you, actually."

I purred, closing my eyes. In my mind, I had tried to imagine myself—my helter-skelter black stripes, my yellow-on-white coat—as an adult queen. It was hard, but I even managed to erase the red marks that dotted my head and ears, which I had obviously inherited from my father. This was my lasting image of Mother.

"Where is she now?" I then asked, still not understanding.

He had hesitated before answering. "Do you know what a Peke is, Demeter?"

"Of course!" He had made quite an amusing game of stifling any unsuspecting Pekes that we happened upon. Amusing to us, at least.

"Your mother was wonderful, but she wasn't strong. It was a Peke that hurt her… it hurt her so bad that she had to go to sleep, for a long time."

"Did she wake up?"

"She didn't wake up."

Despite never knowing my mother, I still loved the family that I had. Born into a litter of five, I was raised with them by father after Mother had… left.

Hestia was my sister. She was beautiful. Just as I took after Mother, she was the mirror image of our father. His vibrant red colors were replicated on her coat, overlain by countless black spots, stripes, and splotches. She had a singe yellow patch that covered half of her muzzle.

"Like I'd fallen asleep in mustard or something." She had joked once.

My other siblings were all male. Vulcan and Jupiter were the only twins out of us all. Even though their names were masculine, they themselves were nothing of the such. Both of them had the bright red fur of Father, but it ended halfway down their body, where it merged with black. They were sleek and lithe, like a queen, and their faces were masked with intricate markings of many colors—red, yellow, orange, white. While they weren't as high-spirited as Hestia, their mind for causing trouble kept them occupied much of the time.

Cronus was the strangest. Unlike Jupiter and Vulcan, his body rippled with muscle, and his coat was almost entirely black. The only thing he seemed to have inherited from our father was his deadly temper. The only thing that broke the darkness of his fur was the innumerable amount of yellow specks which dotted it, as though he were a living night sky. His demeanor also resembled the night—he was quiet and full of mystery. I don't even think that Father could decipher him completely.

One thing _was_ understood, though: when he was angry, he was dangerous.

Father, as I said, was the same way. Under normal circumstances he was very calm, clever… friendly. However, when his rage was provoked, the wrath was one to be feared.

He would never hurt us, though. Never.

He loved us.

Hestia, Vulcan, Cronus, Jupiter, and me—Demeter. We all lived together, and we were happy. As street dwellers, we weren't as wealthy as the Cats who owned humans, but we got by well enough. Father was in the industry of crime, and so what others didn't need, he would gladly take off their hands.

Father's name was Macavity.


	3. Hestia

"Won't he get mad at us?"

"Nah, he'll appreciate it, trust me."

There we were, two foolish kits tempting fate. Hestia, being the kind-hearted and obsessive Cat that she was, had taken it upon herself to tame Father's horribly unkempt fur. He never took much care to keep his coat in order—a quick wash-down every once in a while was all he could manage—and we had learned that even the addition of frilly purple ribbons was not to his particular liking.

So, we used frilly yellow ribbons instead.

"See, it looks great on him! He'll be so happy."

Hestia never really had the gift of forethought.

--oOoOo--

"Now… Demeter, Hestia," He had just finished pulling out the last canary-colored bow with his teeth, "I guess we haven't talked much yet about certain things."

"Like what?" Hestia's voice was casual enough, but her ears and tail were pressed tightly against her body; Father was the only Cat that she _didn't_ like to make angry.

"Like keeping up a self-image." He sighed, sitting down before us. "When you grow up, you have to project yourself through how you act and look. Keep up the 'image', see? No one would hire a thief who's far too picky on how he looks. It takes away from the – Hestia, are you listening?"

"Yes…"

"Do you understand?"

"No."

He sighed again, and I could see him counting to ten in his head before he tried again. "Demeter, do you understand?"

"Yeah." I had noticed it before. Hestia and I shared many things—our gender, our playfulness, our curiousity—but something that I alone had was a sense of observation.

"Will you kindly explain to your sister? I have some matters to attend to."

I nodded, and he stood, stretching. When all of his muscles were pulled out like that, he was quite a sight to behold. His long, thin body looked out of place under the mass of thick fur that covered it. As he began to walk away, I turned to Hestia.

"Okay… I think I know what Father is trying to say."

"Can you translate it into an understandable language?" Hestia had little care for proper speaking, and constantly teased me on my carefulness with words.

"I can try," I took a quick swipe at her ear, which she expertly countered, "You know that agent of Father's? The one with a funny name?"

"Mumbo-Gary?"

"No, no, it's something like Mungojenny. Anyway, any time he's around Father, he takes everything seriously. When he's not, though, he causes endless trouble and acts like a fool."

Hestia giggled. "That's because when he's not around Father, he's flirting with that Rumpelteazer!"

"Oh, Hestia!" I rolled my eyes and swatted playfully at her again. "How can they be such an item in your mind? It's obvious that they're siblings."

"No way. They're totally gonna be mates when they grow up."

"Do you ever think of _anything_ else?"

"No. Well, wait…. no, I don't." She grinned truthfully, "Don't you ever think about toms, Demeter? You're so strange!"

"They just don't hold my interest. You're trying to grow up too fast, Hestia."

Those words would forever be engraved into my mind.

Hestia opened her mouth to reply, but she was unable to say anything before our argument was interrupted by Vulcan and Jupiter. Their vibrant red-and-black coats streaked through the alley, and they came to a skidding halt before us. Both were out of breath, but Jupiter managed to grin at us mischievously.

"What?" I asked suspiciously. The twins tended to keep to themselves—especially around us, since we were female.

"What?" Vulcan answered innocently, having regained enough breath to speak.

"You look as though you've run halfway across London," Hestia said, tilting her head. She was curious in spite of herself.

"We came to show you something—" Vulcan started.

"—That's really amazing. We found it on one of our midday explorations." Jupiter finished for him. Both looked excited.

Hestia attempted to seem uninterested. "Why can't you show Chronus?"

"He's off doing Chronus-ish things." Jupiter answered. His tail was flicking with impatience. "Come on, come on! If we don't leave soon, it'll get dark and we'll miss the fun!"

"What 'fun'?" I asked abruptly, suddenly nervous.

"The good kind, I'm sure," Hestia was excited now, "Oh, come on, Demeter! You're so… _paranoid_."

"I am not," I snapped. "Fine, let's go. I want to be back by the time Father's home, though."

--oOoOo—

The road was hot and sticky. All over, the asphalt burned our paws and heat waves blurred our line of vision. Along the side, the grass grew so tall and thick that it was impossible to walk through it. It seemed like we had walked an eternity on it at the time—an endless highway into Hell, wherever it may lie. Finally, however, we reached our destination.

"Wow!" Hestia gasped. Before us was a large bridge—larger than any that we had seen before. Thick metal bars held up the crossing, emerging from uncalculated depths to glisten in the sinking sunlight. The railing was long and wide on the inside, to contain the human cars that occasionally sped over it; however, on the outside, it was thin. Barely wide enough to hold a cat. This made me realize, with a sudden sinking feeling, what we were here to do.

"Watch!" Vulcan yelled, then bounded over to the railing. My breath caught as he leaped—and made it. With a quick sweep of his tail, the lithe and queen-like body was balanced dangerous on the pole. Turning to grin at us, he then attempted to trot along it. He made it to the end, leapt off, then turn and sat, waiting for us to join him.

"Me next," Jupiter grinned, and went to join his brother. He slipped off once, but managed to catch himself from falling into the torrent waters on his right side. Instead, his somersaulted through the air and landed to the left, in a tangle of grass and weeds. Vulcan let out a sneeze of laughter and went to help his brother out, while Jupiter stuck up his head to shout "Your turn, Demeter!"

"After you just about killed yourself!?" I yelled back, glaring.

Hestia giggled beside me. "Oh, go on, Dem—you know us queens have more balance than them."

"It's not a matter of balance, it's a matter of sense!"

"Stop being such Pollicle!" Vulcan called out, "Hurry up!"

I looked at the railing before me. The metal was rusted, and dull with age, though the thin beams supporting it seemed strong enough. To my left was death by water. To my right was the uncomforting knots of sharp-bladed grasses.

"Demeter!" Hestia whined, and I gave in. Taking in as much breath as I could, I burst into a full-out run towards the pole. It grew taller and taller as I neared it, until I could finally run no longer—I coiled every muscle in my legs into one tight spring, pouncing for the cold metal in front of me.

My claws caught.

I pulled myself up.

Standing on the pole, I finally dared to look up. Vulcan and Jupiter, having conquered their grassy dilemma, were sitting expectantly several yards before me. Though I could not see—and dared not look back—I knew that Hestia must be in a similar position behind me. Taking a few more deep breaths, I trotted as casually as I could across the pole. One foot in front of the other, tail held high for balance, eyes scanning the metal for slippery spots.

"See? It's not so bad!" Jupiter called out when I was at the midpoint. Just a couple more yards to go…

"I'm coming behind you, Dem!" Hestia shouted gleefully.

My heart fluttered, and even as I jerked my head back to protest, she leaped up. Her weight sent a slight tremor through the bar, and combined with my own unbalance, it was enough to send me over.

With a muffled cry, my claws scrambled for the bar's rusty surface, and I was left there dangling by my front paws.

"Demeter!" Hestia began to rush over to help, but slipped herself. I can remember it in livid detail; her blood-red coat twisted in a flurry of panic. Her tail cut through the air like an agitated snake, striking at anything and everything. Then her back feet caught, and with a heavy spring she launched herself away from the choppy waters below. For a moment, she seemed to fly—then her body came into harsh contact with the other railing, the thicker and newer one that bordered the black road. She extended her claws to keep from slipping, but there was no rust on the young metal to anchor her.

Hestia slipped down. She fell awkwardly on her feet, scraping her paws on the rough asphalt.

She then looked up to stare at the unseeing headlights before her.


	4. All Alone With a Memory

As Hestia lay petrified before the oncoming car, I had dropped into the razor-edged grass. It cut at my fur, but my claws cut back, and I managed to free myself in time to tackle her out of harms way. The vehicle sped past, seemingly indifferent to the night's drama.

_If only_, I said to myself, walking home silently with my brothers. _If only…_

Her death had been painless; at least, Vulcan tried to assure me so. There was no blood. There was no scream. There was no time.

There was just no time…

The night sky spread out above us, giving the air a calm equanimity. The stars that could be seen through the lights of the city flicked down at us, making me numb. The sky always sent a cold wave of fear over me—it was a constant reminder of how big the world was, and how small I was in comparison.

"Is there anything bigger than the sky?" I wondered aloud. I was suddenly very tired. But not sad. Why wasn't I sad?

"Who knows?" Vulcan purred quietly.

"Who cares?" Jupiter shrugged, "It's not like anyone's ever going there anyway. No Cat in our lives, at least."

I nodded a few times before falling asleep mid-stride. I was so, so tired…

--oOOo—

"Where is she now?"

"Buried. We couldn't just leave her on the side of the road to be scavenged by Pollicles."

"Ah, so that's why your paws are muddy."

"Yeah."

I wasn't asleep, but I wasn't fully conscious either. We weren't in the alley—I assumed that Father had met us on the way there. Cronus's scent lingered in the air as well. I didn't know if it was on Father, or if he was really there.

"So Demeter's asleep?"

"Yeah, she totally passed out on the way home. Jupiter and I took turns carrying her."

"She doesn't look that beat-up about the whole ordeal." Cronus's voice. Why was it tinged with anger?

"I'm not asleep…" I managed to mumble, the visions of dream fields finally clearing as I opened my eyes slightly. Everything around me was a blur for several seconds, until my eyes had adjusted to the lighting.

Father helped me up, and I could see the sadness in his fiery eyes. It was the same sadness he held for Mama; an unhealed and recently opened wound.

"Father… it's not your fault. It's really not your fault at all." I wanted to say more, to say _anything_ that would make that sadness go away.

"I know, Demeter." He spoke softly, but his voice wavered with anger. I was scared for a moment, until I realized that it was not anger directed at me. He was angry with himself.

"Father—" I tried to comfort him, but he couldn't contain it any longer. Swinging his long body around, he aimed at a small wooden post holding up a decorative fence. His claws struck it, carving deep grooves in the wood, before pulling out again violently, sending splinters everywhere.

His attack surprised us all, but he seemed to be relieved of his tension—for the time being, at least.

"Come, let's go home. It's been a tiring evening and we could probably all cope better with a clear mind." He turned, and began to walk towards our home. Jupiter and Vulcan followed up behind him, but Chronus lingered back with me.

I waited until the others were several yards away before I turned to Chronus. "You want to tell me something." I could see it in his eyes. He was angry with me.

He looked back without hesitation. "You killed her."

"I did not."

"Vulcan and Jupiter have no sense, you of all Cats should know that!"

"Cronus, there was no way to predict what happened! I was stuck in that horrible knotted grass, I couldn't—" I was silenced by a loud crack before toppling over myself.

My eyes shot back up in disbelief. The side of my face burned and stung, confirming my fears. Cronus looked stunned in spite of himself, but he quickly recovered and walked away without saying anything more.

He hit me. Cronus had hit me.

"_You killed her."_

"Demeter, are you—DEMETER!" I ignored Father's call and ran in the opposite direction.

--oOOo--

I took every turn I came upon, not knowing, not caring. I finally had to stop when I tripped over a large rock, simultaneously hurting my paw and falling over again. It was at this point that I took the time to find out just where I was. Looking around, I could identify the location as a park—one I had never been to before, but a park all the same. There were dim lamps that surrounded the elliptical pond in the middle, lighting the way on a paved road that circled the premises. It was quite peaceful.

Then I was sad.

The feeling washed over me without warning, blocking any positive thought from entering my head. I started with the recent events. Cronus. Why had he come to loathe me so much? Again the pain in my face made me wince.

Was it like this for Hestia before she died? A sharp pain… and then what?

"_You're trying to grow up too fast."_

Hestia would never grow up.

She was dead. Hestia was dead.

"Dear, what are you crying for?"

The voice made me jump and whirl around. Normally I wasn't so skittish, but it had been proven to me not but an hour ago that you never knew what would happen. Never knew what was waiting to sneak up behind you.

"W-what?" I hadn't realized that I was crying at all. I had been too lost in my mind.

"I asked you why you were crying." She was a queen: an older one, but not yet an elder. Despite my current mental state, I could not help but admire her beauty. Her fur was glossy, and her face well-shaped. She had the air of one who knew it, too.

"I just… lost someone near to me." I ducked my head in slight embarrassment of my tears, but she sat next to me as if we were close in relation ourselves.

"Oh? Imagine that, I have too." She smiled when I looked up in surprise—it was a lovely smile, but it had remorse in it.

"Really?" I had forgotten not to talk to strangers by this point, "Who was that?" Not want to seem rude, I added, "For me, it was my sister." Speaking it out loud almost made the tears come again.

"My mother."

"Oh," I was surprised yet again, "I lost my mother too. Except that it was before I was old enough to remember, so I never really met her."

"Really, now? I'm sorry to hear that. At least we can know that they all made the journey to the Heaviside Layer," she sighed sadly, "And that's good enough for me."

"Heaviside Layer?" I blinked in confusion. "What's that?"

It was her turn to be surprised. "You don't know? My, no wonder you look so awful. The Heaviside Layer, my dear, is where all Cats go when they die. It's a place of wonders, and once a Cat gets there, they have the chance to be reborn into a different life."

"I've never heard of such a place." Father had never spoken of it. The idea, though—that Hestia would never die completely, that she could come back if she wanted—sent a shiver of warmth through my cold body.

The older queen shook her head. "Really, not knowing what the Heaviside Layer is. I suppose you don't know what Jellicle Cats are either!" She laughed jokingly, but I was once again thrown into puzzlement.

"No, I don't." Father _had_ mentioned Jellicles before. I knew that they were a tribe of Cats known for their graceful dancing and singing. All Cats could sing and dance, of course, but Jellicles were famous for their annual Ball. Still, I asked; I liked this queen, even if she was a stranger to me, and even if I was only a kitten myself.

"Oh! I'm sorry," She ceased her laughing in mild embarrassment. "I will explain that too, then, if you'd like."

"Yes, please," I was slowly growing happier. Was this what it felt like to have a mother?

"Well, Jellicles are Cats who have banded together as a tribe. Every year, they have the annual Jellicle Ball, where they dance and sing and have quite a wonderful time. Then, some point around the middle of the night, their leader will choose a single Cat that he allows to enter the Heaviside Layer. They have some very interesting participants!" She laughed lightly again.

My heart sank slightly. "A Cat has to be chosen to go to this… Heaviside Layer?"

"Well, they think so. I don't, I believe that every Cat has the chance to if they like. That's one of the reasons I'm leaving for a while, I had several arguments with some of the more devout followers in the tribe. I figure that by the time I come back, those Cats will have left."

"Oh!" I was excited now. "So you're a Jellicle?" I had heard of them as a group, but never met one in person!

"Yes, yes," She smiled, some of her own sadness still visible, "I've been to several Balls. There are some very nice Jellicles there. I'm just leaving for a bit to see the outside world. They got quite offended when I said I wouldn't be there for the next few gatherings, but I'm sure they'll forget about it eventually. You should go someday yourself. You know the Junkyard, right? The one downtown? That's where they all go. It's actually quite clean, several of them live there."

"No, I couldn't. I'm not much of a dancer."

"Don't worry about that, dear. They'll be happy to take you up. I did that for several years, in fact. My student was a little kit like you, maybe a couple moons older. She learned well. Do you sing?"

"A little. I like to sing, but I'm not as good as Hestia—" I stopped abruptly, the lament coming without warning. I had to cough to keep my cry suppressed.

"Don't cry, it's alright," She gave me a warm hug that subdued the pain, "Hestia, you say? Was that your sister? What a pretty name."

"Yeah." I couldn't say any more.

She looked down at me, sensitive to my current state. Then, without speaking, she began to sing softly. I listened to the sound of it in silence—it seemed like a lullaby, but her voice was rich and kept the song comforting rather than tiring. It was short, and she soon finished.

"You have a very pretty voice." It sounded foolish out loud, but it was the truth.

"Why, thank you." She smiled again, looking happier herself. "It is something I pride myself in."

Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled—it was very late.

"I must be on my way," The queen sighed and stood, helping me up as well, "And I'm sure you should get back home as well. Do you know the way?"

I looked around, and in the distance I could see the bridge that we had been on earlier. I could follow it home. "Yes, thank you." I gave her the best smile I could. She really was like a mother… or like I'd imagined a mother to be.

"Before we part, I didn't catch your name, dearie."

"Oh… Demeter. My name is Demeter."

"Demeter. Your name is pretty, just like your sister's." She gave me a final smile. "If you ever do happen to become a Jellicle, look for the cat I trained in dance. She's almost like a daughter to me now, really, I'll be sad to leave her behind… her name is Bombalurina. Unique, isn't it? I think it's her Second Name. Talk to her if you ever get the chance, she's a doll."

"Okay!" I waved a goodbye as we parted.

It took me until I was at the mouth of our alley to realize that I hadn't asked for her name.


End file.
